"So, where did he take you for dinner?" Alicia asked the next day, her fingers wrapped around her mug of hot chocolate tightly. Beverly, Alicia, and Deb were settled in the booth of a bistro located near Deb's new college, having been called there (surprisingly enough) by Deb herself.

Meet me at twelve if you want food, was all the text had read, along with a link to the bistro's website. And, with such a warm invitation, how could Beverly have refused?

So, with a quick call to Alicia to ensure that the other girl's hardly-used car was up to the forty-five-minute journey to the location, Beverly had shot a quick text to Griffin, taken her medicine (per his pestering), and then left with Alicia.

On the ride over, the pair had mostly talked about the depressing reality that school would be starting in two days' time, so Beverly wasn't surprised that Alicia was only bringing the topic up now; the girl had probably been dying to ask since Beverly had casually mentioned that Griffin had taken her out the previous night.

Deb didn't seem to care for the topic, if her overdramatic groan was any indication. "God, you're such a girl," she sneered at Alicia.

Said girl straightened in her seat and flipped her hair over her shoulder with a huff. "And you're such a bitch."

Beverly rolled her eyes at the two; really, it was almost funny how they argued constantly, especially since Beverly got the feeling that they actually didn't mind one another's presence nearly as much as they claimed to. "So?" she was pulled from her musing by Alicia's expectant voice and eyes. "Where did he take you, Bev?"

Deb sighed morosely but peered at Beverly as well, and the girl shrunk down in her seat at the sudden attention. Picking at her chicken wrap, she shrugged pitifully. "That Greek restaurant downtown."

"Oh?" Alicia settled her elbows on the table and leaned forward with one eyebrow raised. "That sounds nice."

It had been perfect, actually. Griffin's soft touches and gentlemanly ways ("Let me get your door, please, Beverly." "Here, Beverly, do you want me to take your coat?"), once paired with the upscale but not over-the-top aesthetic of the restaurant, had been more than enough to make Beverly feel like an overeager schoolgirl (she'd almost squealed several times).

"From the way she looks, it was something out of a shitty fairytale dream." Deb's unamused voice pulled Beverly from her thoughts, and she stuck her tongue out at the other girl.

Alicia went a step further and kicked Deb under the table, since they were sat right across from one another. "Please, Deborah; there is no reason to be so blatantly jealous. In fact, try a smile—maybe you'll stop scaring the boys off."

"Have you seen Beverly with that overprotective ass of hers? I'm surprised he even let her out today. No, I certainly don't want one of those watching my every move."

"You talk about him like I bought him at the store," Beverly snorted, taking a sip of her own hot chocolate and sighing with pleasure at the smooth, rich taste.

"I thought you did," Deb responded flippantly, taking a bit of her sandwich and adding through a mouthful of food, "PetSmart was my guess."

"You have got to be one of the meanest and most horrible humans I have ever met in my life," Alicia announced, her eye narrowed at Deb.

"You should get around more." Deb lobbed back. "You'd be surprised."

"You should get a better personality." Alicia retorted just as smoothly. "Maybe you can buy one of those from a store—I think your current one is defective."

Ouch. Maybe the two still didn't like one another at all, but Beverly had hope that they would eventually act civilly together.

"You should—"

Beverly cut off Deb's response with the words, "Griffin asked me to move in with him." She hadn't originally planned to tell the two girls, but it was all she could think of to distract them from their shared ire.

As expected, both Alicia and Deb whirled to face her: Alicia's eyes were huge, while Deb just look mildly confused, and they spoke at the same time.

"Holy crap, Bev!" was Alicia's shriek; Deb just asked, "So?"

"'So'?" Alicia parroted, whipping around once more to pass Deb an incredulous stare. "Are you serious, Deborah? This is huge!" Her attention was back on Beverly in the next second, and the girl worried briefly that Alicia would get whiplash with how quickly she was moving. "In his current apartment?"

"Nope," Beverly shook her head, leaning back in her seat and feeling a swell of pride and love for her sweet Griffin, who had chosen to find a new apartment because he wanted to live with her, and he didn't want her in danger. She also felt that it symbolized his moving on from the past; she hadn't forgotten what he told her about belonging, and she hoped this new living situation meant that he was realizing that he truly belonged wherever he wanted to. "He actually got a two-bedroom right near school."

"Two bedrooms?" Ah, she knew Deb had been listening! "That's weird; I figured you two were always all over each other—"

"We are not," Beverly groused, shooting Deb a glare. The other girl just shrugged nonchalantly, popping the last bite of sandwich into her mouth.

"Sure."

Before Beverly could protest further, Alicia cut in. "I still say this is huge. How sweet was it of him to find an apartment? That is so adorable, Bev, seriously. When are you moving in?"

It was a good question. Although she and Griffin had spoken about it briefly over dinner the night before, they hadn't really hashed out the details; Beverly suspected that she wouldn't move in until after Griffin had gotten all of his own belongings settled. She didn't mind that, though—she was perfectly content at Cynthia's house, so there was no rush.

"I'm not sure, but there's no rush."

Her answer was apparently less than underwhelming, if Alicia's gaping mouth was any indication. "'No rush'? Bev, have you seen your boyfriend? If I was you, I would've moved in with him within the first ten minutes of meeting him."

Beverly managed a chuckle at her friend's dramatics, while Deb just gagged. "You are so desperate it hurts. Beverly should know by now that she doesn't need to do any work—she's an independent badass, unlike you, so she doesn't even need him."

It was almost touching to hear the words from Deb, Beverly decided after determining that she wasn't being insulted.

Of course, I think she just insulted both Griffin and Alicia . . .

Seeming to have come to the same conclusion, Alicia—finally having had enough of Deb's snarky comments—plucked up her butter knife and pointed it at the other girl. "Hush! That is not what Bev needs to be hearing right now; save your problems with men and me for later, okay?"

"Trust me," Deb drawled, using one finger to push the knife to the side so she and Alicia could glare at one another properly, "I would, but then I'd be leaving Beverly with nothing but your shitty advice, and she certainly doesn't need that."

"Ladies," Beverly attempted to diffuse the situation, "maybe let's not . . ." she trailed off when Alicia and Deb launched into a verbal war, sinking down in her seat and praying that she didn't end up in some 'Today's Latest Catfight' video. Unfortunately, judging by how Alicia and Deb stood up and continued to raise their voices, that was one prayer that wouldn't get answered.

Oh, boy.

***

"I cannot believe you got us kicked out," Beverly scolded ten minutes later, scowling at the two girls. Alicia had the grace to look ashamed, her eyes downcast and her shoulders slumped with embarrassment, but Deb only looked away, crossing her arms like a petulant child. "That was so inappropriate, and I am disappointed in both of you.

"Not to mention," Beverly carried on, waving her arms around for emphasis, "that it's cold as heck, starting to hail, and I never got to finish my hot chocolate!" Finishing her tirade, she settled her hands on her hips and glowered at the other women. "Well?"

"Sorry, Bev," Alicia grumbled. "I'll get the car and pick you up?"

At Beverly's terse nod, Alicia scurried away, leaving Beverly under the bistro's awning with a still-silent Deb. Blowing out a sigh, Beverly let her hands drop by her sides, leaning over and nudging Deb's hip gently with her own. "Hey," she said when the other girl finally turned to face her, "how are you?"

"You're a nosy—" Deb cut herself off when she caught Beverly's unamused glare, and mumbled, "Sorry—habit. I'm . . ." she licked her lips, her eyes darting from Beverly's and dancing across the empty streets and glistening ice. "I'm better," Deb decided after a moment, nodding as if to reassure herself of the fact. "Yeah, I'm better."

Beverly smiled softly. "I'm glad, Deb."

Deb blew out a slow breath. "I am too, I think. I got a job—an actual job—and I'm getting some financial aid now, you know."

Beverly hadn't known, but she was happy to hear the news nonetheless. While she didn't think Deb would ever resort to becoming a drug mule again, it was nice to know that the girl wouldn't be left to her own devices, with no way of paying for the rest of her schooling. "That makes me even gladder," Beverly confessed, watching Alicia's bright red hatchback turn the corner and begin to crawl towards them.

"Can we do this again? I'll try not to bitch slap Alicia next time."

Coming from Deb, the question was meaningful, and Beverly had to stop the urge to hug her former roommate. Deb didn't like to be smothered, after all. "As long as you don't bitch slap Alicia, then yes, we can do this again."

They settled into silence, but it was comfortable, and it warmed Beverly's heart to know that Deb no longer hated her guts. Perhaps getting involved in a drug ring and taking a bullet hadn't been the best way to go about getting close to Deb, but Beverly decided then and there that everything had worked out for the better.

Alicia's car creaked to a halt in front of the pair, and Beverly passed Deb a smile. "Good luck with the semester, and text me when you want to meet up, okay?"

Deb managed a half-smile of her own. "Alright, Beverly. Tell your boyfriend I said 'fu—'"

"Alright," Beverly cut her off, her voice an octave higher than normal. "That's enough." Huffing an exasperated breath, she stepped forward and pulled the taller girl into a tight hug.

Surprisingly enough, Deb actually returned the embrace, but only for a moment before she was pulling back and saying, "God, Beverly, you're like an overemotional mother hen or something, I swear."

Rolling her eyes with a light chuckle, Beverly peeled open the passenger side door and climbed inside, groaning when Alicia bent past her to yell out the open door, "See you, bitch!"

Deb flipped Alicia off in return, and then spun around and began the trek to her own car.

"You two get along so well," Beverly deadpanned. "Seriously. It's amazing."

Alicia just grumbled something about tall girls and issues before turning on the radio, and the two spent the car ride home singing offkey to asinine pop songs.

All in all, Beverly decided as they got closer to the city, not a bad day.

***

Beverly sighed, tugging on a loose strand of hair as she let her eyes drift over the different computers on display at Best Buy. When it came to clothes and other accessories, Beverly had no opinion and wasn't a terribly invested shopper; however, when technology was involved . . . well, Beverly could easily lose hours inside a tech store.

This one has more RAM, but this one has the latest processor, and I'll add an SSD regardless of which one I get, so the hard drive isn't that impor—

"You look torn."

Beverly startled violently, jerking away from the voice and slapping a hand against her chest to calm her racing heart. "Holy crap," she wheezed, clutching her stomach and inwardly congratulating herself for taking her medicine that morning. "Don't do that, please."

A stocky young man—probably around her age, if not older—stood at the end of the aisle, dressed in the blue shirt and khakis that indicated he was an employee. He had short-cropped brown hair, dark brown eyes, olive skin, and a smile that spoke of trouble. "Right, sorry—I forgot about the gunshot wound."

If Beverly wasn't decently observant (most of the time, anyway, regardless of what her recent decisions indicated), she would have been surprised. Instead, she raised a single eyebrow and returned his comment with a smooth, "I should've known you work in a Best Buy; it's nice to meet you, Kenneth."

His smile shifted, and he looked torn between amusement and disappointment. "I was kind of hoping to have a TV show moment where you get all weirded out and I get to tell you why I know all about you. Griffin said you were smart, though—I'm still impressed. How'd you know?"

She smirked. "Like Griffin said, I'm smart." And then, raising one hand, she pointed at his chest. "Also, your name tag helps."

Kenneth barked a laugh, stepping closer and holding out a hand for her to shake. "It's nice to officially meet you, Beverly. May I just say that you're a badass? Drug dealers and shit, I mean geez, you're hardcore, man."

Chuckling lightly, she shrugged nonchalantly as she took his hand and shook it firmly. "What can I say? I'm a daredevil." Sobering, she leveled him with a grateful glance, lowering her voice in case there were unwanted ears listening in, "Thanks you for all of your help, Kenneth."

He shot her a thumbs-up. "No sweat, Beverly: I'd do anything for Griffin's girl, and not just because he'd beat me up if I said 'no.' When I asked him about you, he said you were in computer sciences?"

Beverly perked up immediately at the mention of her major. "Yes, actually. That's why I'm looking for a new computer; my old one's not going to cut it anymore, because I'm taking this class and the professor . . ." Realizing she was rambling, she trailed off and shrugged sheepishly. "Anyway. Sorry." Griffin may have told her she was adorable when she rambled, but she knew perfectly well that not many others cared to hear about her life.

He just laughed again. "It's okay, Beverly, I'm into computers; hacking will do that."

His wicked smile was back, and Beverly stared at him for a long moment before declaring, "You are Griffin's exact opposite." His personality, looks, and even height provided a sharp contrast to her boyfriend's, but she had the distinct feeling that it was because of their differences that they were friends.

Kenneth nodded eagerly. "Exactly—he does the intimidating, and I do the top-secret computer stuff. Speaking of, there are some nicer computers hidden away in this section, if you want to check them out? The ones you were eying are pretty great too, but you might want to see every option before you make a decision."

"That would be great," she followed him as he started marching away, chattering away all the while about how he "hypothetically" hacked into the police scanners to help Griffin get her location on that day. She listened raptly, logging the interesting tidbits and silently cackling over the fact that she'd finally met one of Griffin's friends, and her boyfriend wasn't even present.

Oh yes, Griffin would be awfully surprised when she told him about her day later that night.

Beverly couldn't help but grin evilly as Kenneth showed her three other laptops and started explaining which one was best for hacking.

I can't wait to see Griffin's face when I tell him . . .